How do I keep fit?

What is your fitness regime?

How are you? Hope that you’ve had an amazing Christmas & a super start of the New Year. I have planned to write the January article telling you what to do, but everybody keeps asking me what do I do to keep in shape, so I have decided to write this article telling you exactly that.

So let’s start with the easy part, my exercise routine: I absolutely love training anyway, and could easily train twice the amount I train now, if wasn’t for the rest of my life being on the way! I train six days a week for one hour and a half each time. You probably think it’s a lot, but depends on who you compare it to and the standards you set for yourself. I am a health & fitness professional and have to present myself to the highest standards of aesthetics & performance, and 9 hours is the minimum amount of time I have to invest to keep my old self according to my standards. A proper gymnast or swimmer will train up to 6 hours a day, 5 days a week for example.

A regular person following a good & consistent nutrition programme for six months or more, can easily maintain great health & fitness levels training with proper intensity and good programming three times a week. If someone wants anything great for less than three hours a week…well, just remember: watching a movie will take about two hours, that’s how little investment of time it is. And remember the pay-off: we only have one body to live so treat it well!

We can all find time for it. For example, most people love reading and find time to read good books. I am not exception to this rule and have a target of reading two non-fiction books a month. To fit everything together I have started to use audio books during some of my sessions and matched two very positive investments of my time in one action.

I also vary my routine e.g. chest & back on Mondays, legs and core on Tuesdays with CrossFit added to each session to add some functionality to it. I also change my workout programme every six to twelve weeks to make sure my body has to keep adapting to new routines, loads & range of movement, so I don’t waste my time.

As CrossFit includes a lot of metabolic conditioning, I only run a couple of km once a week and row few km another time; this keeps me ready for when the opportunity comes for longer runs e.g. when my clients invite me to join them for half marathons, 10 km, etc, which I enjoy a lot.

So if you are planning to start easy on the exercise in 2016 remember: Things will only change when you change. Don’t expect better results by doing the same thing again. Chase your goals with consistency, intensity & passion as that’s the only “magic” formula that works.